Coupling



.im A1949. A. .1. CHI-:MER 2,473,973

COUPLING Filed May 21, 1945 4@ of? 47 5o fz 4/ 5f 54 /idJQ '43 r 63 INVENTOR.

6 i pal,

Patented June 21, 1949 UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,473,973 GQUPLNG:

Alhent., '11.' Scheiwer, Erie,pl a. Application May 212, 1945,. Serial No. 594,33?.

6 Glraiinsk (C1. 285-169) invention relates generally '6.0; couplings. and more particiilarlvv to' snapetyne.- couplings A. quickly.- aoting; Securely Sea-,lodiv coupling.4 is. necessary inA suon. eases as. oxygen masks inv air-f planes. Because of the heavy mittensworn, the. connection. must be ai-itoinatie.Y after, the male member is insertedfintoithe .femalegmembcr of; the coupling. All manual ooerationsmust be elime. inated.

It is, accordingly-f, an@ object of. mvv invention to. provide a coupling; whichv has; all of the.: aff/.trier botes as set fonthialooveand itismorenartioularlye an object o f my invention to. provide a coupling; which is, automatic in operation.v simple'. in con?. struction, efficient in? operation, ecmomicalfv in, cost, and light in7 weight,

Another object off my invention istofprovide a coupling which is` securely looked'1 upon mere inf.. sertion of the maleI memberz into,- the female; member.

Another object of invention is, to.; provide an effcient snapetype coupling with, a; miminino,l oi; material;

Other objects of my invention will becomiiovirdent from the following detailed, description, taken` in Con-iunotion: with the accompanying. drawings, inwhich Eie- L a Side; elevational; view: with parte broken away ofmy,V novel snapftype.coupling-inra.. locked position.

Fig. 24 is` a. sido elevational. Viewl with parte; broken away ot the femalefmember 0f mynovell snap-type coupling in a disconnected poslllorr,

Fig. 31is. a side. elevational view with parts broken away of the male member of my novel snap-type Coupling..

Fie... 4.v iS a sidev elevational. view. with parts broken away of'my novel snaptype coupling with. the ymale and female members disconnected; and

Fig. 5 is a side. elevational view with parts broken away of a modified form of my novel couplingv in a locked position. Figs. 6 and'l'l show perspective views of diierent forms of'spring. members.

Referring now to` the drawings; Figs. l, 2; 3, and 4 show a male member I and a female member 2. The male member I comprises a connecting portion 5 with a peripheral groove 4, an end connecting portion 5, a shoulder 6, and a hose connecting portion 'I with raised annular shoulders 8. F

The female member 2 comprises an inner sleeve It with radially extending ball retaining apertures I l and I 2, a shoulder I3, an inner annular groove I4, a peripheral groove I5, a clip retaining groove I6, and a hose connecting portion I1 with a raised annular shoulder I3JV and. a movablesleeve LS1-sur rounding the inner sleeve l..having fa depending. portion 2l), a cammingportio 2.I`, an innergroove 22.., anda Spring monili' nursing the sleeve Illi longituclinally of, t inner sleeve I0. Ball members. 2L are disposed l, the apertures. II. to engage a. Spring, membedisroseddn the inner groove 22. in; the moyablesleeye 1,9.` Ball` mom-l bers 2|j6.are disposed iintlieapentures. k2 to engage the. groovey 4= in the connecting portion|` 3 of.; the male member I to secure the male; and; female members I`5 and2 together. Anannularuashaped washer 21'Isis`disposed inthegroove liti the; sleeve IG of the female member 2 toysealinglyengage the nose portion 5,-of. tlie connecting portion 3g of the male. member- I.. clip 28, is disposedin the groove IB in the sleeve; Il).A of the; female member 2 to engage thej oamming, portion 2| 'of thesleevc. '19t ln operation,-A the.. movable, sleeve ISI; is.. drawnlongitudinallv tofapofsitionlshownin Fig'- awheref inl the spr-ing; member- 2 5*` drops. in the groove.. I5 in the sleeve. Ill. ofthe.` female member,A 2. to. hold the movable. sleeve. hein; the position shown. in Fig. 2. The movablelsleeye lalnemainsfinjthe posi-. tion shown in Fig. 2 when in a disconnected position.. To.v couple.- tliel male and! female members. t and.. Z togetnertnef. connecting nortioni It oi themale member.- I' 'sinserted into. the femalemembor 2. thereon for@ fthe ball members. olitwardly 15o-move the spring member- 2.5.7 outwardly: into.. the. groove 22.' int tlieg,v movable, sleeve i9; per-v mitting the movable Sleeve: I9; tof'move longi:y tndinallr.. Upon longitudinal movement4 ofA the. movablosleeve mi the cam-ming porti'ornil onthe movablersleeve; I9 foncesthe-ball members 26; into engagement with one groove 4.: in.: the connecting. portionS of. themale; member I1. and the male and female-members I andi. are connected together. as shown. in Fig;-` 1;..

rllo disconnect the male; and female member I! and. the movable sleeve t9; iS.v moved lonsimoli.-A nallv to, free. the. ballmembers lliA in engagement with.v the groove. t in. the connecting portion. 3., oi;

i the; male member lf.. thereon .freeing male member I and permitting its removal. The ball members 24 then move downwardly in the apertures i I permitting the spring member 25 to move into the groove I5 in the sleeve I0 and hold the movable sleeve I9 in the position shown in Fig. 2 ready for a quick connection when the connecting portion 3 of the male member I is inserted into the female member 2.

It will be evident that any form of spring or spring urged member may be carried by the movable sleeve to engage the ball members 24. Springs 90 and 9| shown in Figs. 6 and 7 may be utilized to engage the ball members 24.

Fig. shows a female member d!) similar to the female member 2 shown in Fig. 1 except that a different type spring member 4| and a different type washer 42 is utilized. The female member 40 comprises a sleeve 43 having apertures @Il and 45, an inner groove 45, an outer groove 4l, a shoulder 48, and a clip retaining groove 42. The movable member 5l) has a depending camming portion 5|, an inner groove 52, and a spring 53 for urging the movable member 5l) towards a stop clip 54 disposed in the clip groove 49 in the sleeve 43. Ball members 55 disposed in apertures 44 engage the spring member 4I in the groove 52 of the movable member 50 to free the movable member 50 when a connecting portion 52 of a male member 6l with a groove 62 is inserted into the female member 2. Ball members $3 are disposed in the apertures :i5 to engage the groove 62 in the connecting portion @E3 of the male member 6| to secure the male and female members lil and @l together. The washer 42 has a groove adapted to engage a reduced nose portion 55 of the connecting portion 60 of the male member 6l. A portion 6l of the washer 42 adjacent the groove 42 thereof is forced into an arcuate position as shown in Fig. 5 to securely seal the male and female members 4D and 5l when they are connected together.

The operation of the coupling shown in Fig. 5 is the same as the coupling shown in Fig. 1 and described heretofore.

It Will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a simple and efficient coupling which may be coupled by merely inserting the male member into the female member and efficient means for holding the movable sleeve of a female member in a ball-type coupling to permit automatic coupling when the male member is inserted.

Various changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, or from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A coupling comprising a male member having a connecting portion with a groove, and a female member comprising a sleeve having cam retaining apertures and a groove, camming members carried by apertures in said sleeve for engaging said groove in the connecting portion of said male member to secure said male and female members together, a movable sleeve surrounding said sleeve having a groove, for locking said camming members in engagement with the groove in said male member, and a spring member disposed in the groove in said movable member adapted to engage the groove in said sleeve of said female member to lock said movable sleeve in a position to free said locking. camming members and camming members in apertures of said sleeve of said female member adapted to move said spring member out of its engaging groove in said sleeve of said female member when the connecting portion of said male member is inserted into said female member.

2. A coupling as set forth in claim 1 wherein said camming members are ball members.

3. A coupling comprising a male member having a connecting portion with a groove; a female member comprising a sleeve having an outer groove, locking ball members carried by said sleeve to engage the groove in said connecting portion of said male member to lock said male and female members together, a, spring-urged movable sleeve having an inner groove for locking said locking ball members in engagement with the groove in the connecting portion of said male member, a spring member disposed in the groove of said movable member adapted to engage the outer groove on said sleeve to hold said movable sleeve out of engagement with said locking ball members, and a second set of ball members carried by said sleeve of said female member to move said spring member in the groove of said movable sleeve out of engagement with the groove of said sleeve of said female member to free said movable member when said male member is inserted into said female member.

4. A coupling comprising a male member having a connecting portion with a groove; and a female member comprising an inner sleeve with an outer groove, locking camming members carried by said inner sleeve to engage the groove in the connecting portion of said male member to secure said male and female members together, a movable sleeve for locking said camming members in engagement with the groove in the connecting portion of said male member, means carried by said movable member to engage the groove in said sleeve to hold said movable sleeve out of engagement with said locking camming members, and camming members carried by said inner sleeve adapted to engage said means for holding said movable sleeve to free said movable sleeve when the connecting portion of said male member is inserted into the sleeve of said female member. l

5. A coupling as set forth in claim 4 wherein said camming members are ball members.

6. A coupling as set forth in claim 4 wherein said female member has a washer disposed therein having a longitudinally extending groove whereby a lateral portion of said Washer adjacent said groove is moved to an angular position upon engagement by the connecting portion of said male member.

ALBERT T. SCHEIWER.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATTENTs 

